Progress Report On The Status Of Goal Achievement

Time Referenced: (How/Steps)

Week 1: Master the correct way of holding a Harmonica, the correct method of producing a single note and be able to play Doh, Re, Mi, Fa, Soh, La, Ti, Doh correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 2: Able to play the 1st song (Marry Had A Little Lamb) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 3: Able to play the 2nd song (Harmonica March) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 4: Able to play the 3rd song (Little Bee) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 5: Able to play the 4th song (Painter) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 6: Able to play the 5th song (Long Long Ago) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 7: Able to play the 6th song (London Bridge) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 8: Able to play the 7th song (Three Blind Mice) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 9: Able to play the 8th song (Allegro) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 10: Able to play the 9th song (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 11: Able to play the 10th song (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Variation 1) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 12: Able to play the 11th song (Love Me Tender) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 13: Able to play the 12th song (Little White Boat) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 14: Able to play the 13th song (Song Of Joy) correctly with a Harmonica (Achieved)

Week 15: Able to play the 14th song (Home On The Range) correctly with a Harmonica

Week 16: Able to play the 15th song (Edelweiss) correctly with a Harmonica

The Events & Competitions Of Harmonica

A big harmonica competition is held in the autumn every four years in Trossingen, Germany, home of the Hohner harmonica company. The last World Harmonica Festival was in 2005 and - if all goes well - the next will be in 2009. However, there is a Harmonica Masters Workshop held every year.

Another international harmonica event is held in the summer every two years in cities in the Asia Pacific Region, which is called Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival. Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival(APHF, Chinese:亞太口琴節, Japanese:アジア太平洋ハーモニカ大会) is one of the world largest harmonica event. It helds every two years. The first APHF was held in Taipei in 1996. The next festival is to be held in summer 2008 in Hangzhou, China.

In Hong Kong, Schools Music Festival is held every year for school students to compete in different music classes. Harmonica classes include band for primary and secondary schools, ensemble for secondary school, duet for secondary school, solo (junior, intermediate, and senior), and concert work (open).

Every August there is a harmonica contest in Idaho. The contest has been running for eighteen years since 1989. The contest is held in Yellow Pine about 150 miles outside of Boise, Idaho and is called the Yellow Pine Harmonica Contest.

The List Of Famous Harmonica Bands & Famous Harmonicists

Famous Harmonica bands

1. Borrah Minnevitch and his Harmonica Rascals

2. Troupe da Gaita

3. The Harmonicats

Famous Harmonicists

Blues players

1. Billy Boy Arnold

2. Dan Aykroyd, as Elwood Blues

3. Carey Bell

4. James Belushi

5. Norton Buffalo (Steve Miller Band: Chromatic, Diatonic)

6. Howlin' Wolf (real name: Chester Burnett)

7. Paul Butterfield

8. James Cotton

9. Jim Conway

10. Cyril Davies

11. Garrett Dutton (G. Love & Special Sauce)

12. Paul deLay

13. Carlos del Junco

14. Harmonica Frank

15. Jazz Gillum

16. Alan Glen (the Barcodes, Yardbirds, Dr Feelgood, Nine Below Zero)

17. Marla Glen

18. Tony "Little Sun" Glover

19. Slim Harpo

20. Taylor Hicks

21. Bill "Watermelon Slim" Homans

22. Big Walter Horton

23. Paul Jones (The Blues Band, Manfred Mann)

24. Lazy Lester

25. Noah Lewis

26. Dutch Mason

27. John Mayall (Bluesbreakers)

28. Delbert McClinton

29. Hammie Nixon

30. Jean-Jacques Milteau

31. Charlie Musselwhite (Diatonic, Chromatic)

32. Sam Myers

33. Rod Piazza (Chromatic, Diatonic)

34. Roly Platt Versatile Blues, R&B, Country player - Canada

35. Jerry Portnoy (Diatonic)

36. Snooky Pryor

37. Annie Raines

38. Jimmy Reed

39. Jason Ricci

40. Curtis Salgado

41. George "Harmonica" Smith

42. Powell St. John

43. Les Stroud

44. Sugar Blue

45. Greg "Fingers" Taylor (Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band)

46. Sonny Terry

47. Big Mama Thornton

48. Captain Beefheart (a.k.a Don Van Vliet)

49. Little Walter

50. Junior Wells, (Muddy Waters)

51. Sonny Boy Williamson I

52. Sonny Boy Williamson II

53. Kim Wilson (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)

Folk

1. Donovan

2. Bob Dylan

3. Ramblin' Jack Elliott

4. Jesse Fuller

5. Arlo Guthrie

6. Woody Guthrie

7. Mel Lyman (Jim Kweskin Jug Band)

8. Rory McLeod

9. Sonny Terry

10. Vikki Thorn (The Waifs)

11. Neil Young

12. León Gieco

Rock

1. Ryan Adams

2. Teddy Andreadis (Live harmonicist for Guns N' Roses during the Use Your Illusion Tour)

3. Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)

4. Gem Archer (Oasis)

5. Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)

6. Tim Armstrong (Rancid)

7. Beck

8. Bono (U2)

9. David Bowie

10. Gary Brooker (Procol Harum)

11. Jack Bruce

12. Bertrand Cantat (Noir Désir)

13. Gene Clark (The Byrds)

14. Alice Cooper

15. Sheryl Crow

16. Burton Cummings

17. Rivers Cuomo (Weezer)

18. Rick Davies (Supertramp)

19. Magic Dick (Richard Salwitz of the J. Geils Band)

20. Roger Daltrey (The Who)

21. Rick Danko (The Band)

22. Bob Dylan

23. Melissa Etheridge

24. Andrew Farriss (INXS)

25. Jon Foreman (Switchfoot)

26. Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil)

27. Ian Gillan (Deep Purple)

28. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

29. John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

30. Tom Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

31. Levon Helm (The Band)

32. George Harrison

33. Kelly Hoppe (Big Sugar)

34. Mick Jagger

35. Billy Joel

36. Brian Jones (Rolling Stones)

37. Adam Lazzara (Taking Back Sunday)

38. Arthur Lee (Love)

39. John Lennon

40.Lemmy (Motörhead)

41. Huey Lewis (Huey Lewis & The News)

42. Richard Manuel (The Band)

43. Johnny Marr

44. Matt Mays

45. Ron McKernan (Grateful Dead)

46. Van Morrison

47. Lee Oskar (War)

48. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)

49. Tom Petty

50. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)

51. John Popper (Blues Traveler)

52. Keith Relf

53. Billy Lee Riley

54. Robbie Robertson (The Band)

55. Joe Satriani

56. John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful)

57. Nicky Shane

58. Southside Johnny

59. Bruce Springsteen

60. Chris Squire (Yes)

61. Ringo Starr

62. Ray Thomas (Moody Blues)

63. Scott Thurston (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)

64. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

65. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)

66. Stevie Wonder

67. Neil Young

68. Pete Yorn

69. Warren Zevon

Country Music

1. DeFord Bailey

2. Buddy Greene

3. Charlie McCoy

4. Terry McMillan

5. Mickey Raphael

6. Bobbejaan Schoepen

Irish music

1. Patrick Clancy (The Clancy Brothers)

Jazz

1. Philip Achille (Chromatic, Saxophonist, Piano and Double bass)

2. Larry Adler (Chromatic)

3. Carlos del Junco

4. Max Geldray (Goon Show)

5. Howard Levy (Diatonic)

6.Chris Michalek (Diatonic)

7.Jean "Toots" Thielemans (Chromatic)

Classical music

1. Larry Adler (Chromatic)

2. Robert Bonfiglio (Chromatic)

3. Angelo Dos Santos (Chromatic)

4. Sigmund Groven (Chromatic)

5. Tommy Reilly (Chromatic)

The Musical Instruments Related To Harmonica

The concertina, diatonic and chromatic accordions and the melodica are all free-reed instruments which were developed alongside the harmonica. Indeed, the similarities between harmonicas and so-called "diatonic" accordions or melodeons is such that in German the name for the former is "Mundharmonika" and the later "Handharmonika", translated simply as "mouth harmonica" and "hand harmonica"; the names for the two instruments in the Slavic languages are also either similar or identical. The harmonica shares similarities to all other free-reed instruments by virtue of the method of sound production.

There also exists the unrelated glass harmonica, which is often confused with being a harmonica made of glass. In fact, it is a musical instrument formed of a nested set of graduated glass cups mounted sideways on an axle and partially immersed in water. It is played by touching the rotating cups with wetted fingers, causing them to vibrate.

The Medical Use Of Harmonica

"Playing" the harmonica requires inhaling and exhaling strongly against resistance. This action helps develop a strong diaphragm and deep breathing using the entire lung volume. Pulmonary specialists have noted that playing the harmonica resembles the kind of exercise used to rehabilitate COPD patients such as using a PFLEX inspiratory muscle trainer or the inspiratory spirometer. Learning to play a musical instrument also offers motivation in addition to the exercise component. Many pulmonary rehabilitation programs therefore have begun to incorporate the harmonica.

The Care & Maintenance Of Harmonica

1. Don't eat and play the harmonica.

2. Don’t drink sticky, heavy drinks before playing the harmonica.

3. Rinse the mouth out well, or brush the teeth if necessary, before playing the harmonica.

4. Don't share the harmonica with others.

5. Tap the harmonica out gently after playing the harmonica, tapping out the excess saliva - holes down, and wipe the harmonica with alcohol swabs.

6. Keep the harmonica in the box or in some other clean place (pocket,purse) if you aren’t playing.

7. Take note when putting the harmonica down - pay attention to where the harmonica is put: the harmonica is small and easily misplaced.

The Techniques Of Harmonica

Techniques available for the harmonica are numerous. Some are used to provide additional tonal dynamics, while others are used to increase playing ability. Using these techniques can change the harmonica from a diatonic instrument that can play one key properly into a versatile instrument. Some techniques used include: bending, overbending, overdrawing, position playing and vibrato.

'Vibrato' is a technique commonly used while playing the harmonica and many other instruments, notably string instruments, to give the note a 'shaking' sound. This technique can be accomplished in a number of ways. The most common way is to change how the harmonica is held. For example, by opening and closing your hands around the harmonica very rapidly you achieve the vibrato effect. Another way is to use a 'head shaking' technique, frequently used in blues harmonica, in which the player moves the lips between two holes very quickly. This gives a quick shaking technique that is slightly more than vibrato and achieves the same aural effect on sustained notes.

In addition to the 19 notes readily available on the diatonic harmonica, players can play other notes by adjusting their embouchure and forcing the reed to resonate at a different pitch. This technique is called "bending", a term borrowed from guitarists, who literally "bend" a string in order to create subtle changes in pitch. "Bending" also creates the glissandos characteristic of much blues harp and country harmonica playing. Bends are essential for most blues and rock harmonica due to the soulful sounds the instrument can bring out. The famous "wail" of the blues harp typically required bending. In the 1970s, Howard Levy developed the "overbending" technique (also known as "overblowing" and "overdrawing".) Overbending, combined with bending, allowed players to play the entire chromatic scale.

In addition to playing the diatonic harmonica in its original key, it is also possible to play it in other keys by playing in other "positions", using different keynotes. Using just the basic notes on the instrument would mean playing in a specific mode for each position. Harmonica players (especially blues players) have developed a set of terminology around different "positions" which can be somewhat confusing to other musicians.

Harmonica players who amplified their instrument with microphones and tube amplifiers, such as blues harp players, also have a range of techniques which exploit the properties of the microphone and the amplifier, such as changing the way the hands are cupped around the instrument and the microphone or rhythmically breathing or chanting into the microphone while playing.

The Other Parts Of Harmonica

The other parts of the harmonica are the windsavers, mouthpiece and amplification devices.

Windsavers

Windsavers are one-way valves made from thin strips of plastic, knit paper, leather or teflon glued onto the reed-plate. They are typically found in chromatic harmonicas, chord harmonicas and many octave-tuned harmonicas. Windsavers are used when two reeds share a cell and leakage through the non-playing reed would be significant. For example, when a draw note is played, the valve on the blow reed-slot is sucked shut, preventing air from leaking through the inactive blow reed. An exception to this is the recent Hohner XB-40 where valves are placed not to isolate single reeds but rather to isolate entire chambers from being active.

Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece is placed between the air chambers of the instrument and the player's mouth. This can be integral with the comb (the diatonic harmonicas, the Hohner Chrometta), part of the cover (as in Hohner's CX-12), or may be a separate unit entirely, secured by screws, which is typical of chromatics. In many harmonicas, the mouthpiece is purely an ergonomic aid designed to make playing more comfortable. However, in the traditional slider-based chromatic harmonica it is essential to the functioning of the instrument because it provides a groove for the slide.

Amplification devices

While amplification devices are not part of the harmonica itself, since the 1950s, many blues harmonica players have amplified their instrument with microphones and tube amplifiers. One of the early innovators of this approach was Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs, who played the harmonica near a "Bullet" microphone marketed for use by radio taxi dispatchers. This gave his harmonica tone a "punchy" mid-range sound that could be heard above an electric guitar. As well, tube amplifiers produce a natural distortion when played at higher volumes, which adds body and fullness to the sound. Little Walter also cupped his hands around the instrument, tightening the air around the harp, giving it a powerful, distorted sound, somewhat reminiscent of a saxophone.

The Basic Parts Of Harmonica

The basic parts of the harmonica are the comb, reed-plates and cover-plates.

Comb

The comb is the term for the main body of the instrument which contains the air chambers that cover the reeds. The term comb originates from the similarities between simple harmonicas and a hair comb. Harmonica combs were traditionally made from wood, but now are usually made from plastic (ABS) or metal. Some modern and experimental comb designs are complex in the way that they direct the air.

Comb material was assumed to have an effect on the tone of the harp. While the comb material does have a slight influence over the sound of the harmonica, the main advantage of a particular comb material over another one is its durability. In particular, a wooden comb can absorb moisture from the player's breath and contact with the tongue. This causes the comb to expand slightly, making the instrument uncomfortable to play.

An even more serious problem with wood combs, especially in chromatic harmonicas (with their thin dividers between chambers) is that the combs shrink over time. Comb shrinkage can lead to cracks in the combs due to the combs being held immobile by nails, resulting in disabling leakage. Much effort is devoted by serious players to restoring wood combs and sealing leaks. Some players used to soak wooden-combed harmonicas (diatonics, without windsavers) in water to cause a slight expansion which was intended to make the seal between the comb, reed plates and covers more airtight. Modern wooden-combed harmonicas are less prone to swelling and contracting.

Reed-plate

Reed-plate is the term for a grouping of several reeds in a single housing. The reeds are usually made of brass, but steel, aluminium and plastic are occasionally used. Individual reeds are usually riveted to the reed-plate, but they may also be welded or screwed in place. Reeds fixed on the inside (within the comb's air chamber) of the reed-plate respond to blowing, while those on the outside respond to suction.

Most harmonicas are constructed with the reed-plates screwed or bolted to the comb or each other. A few brands still use the traditional method of nailing the reed-plates to the comb. Some experimental and rare harmonicas also have had the reed-plates held in place by tension, such as the WWII era all-American models. If the plates are bolted to the comb, the reed plates can be replaced individually. This is useful because the reeds eventually go out of tune through normal use, and certain notes of the scale can fail more quickly than others.

A notable exception to the traditional reed-plate design is the all-plastic harmonicas designed by Finn Magnus in the 1950s, where the reed and reed-plate were molded out of a single piece of plastic. The Magnus design had the reeds, reed-plates and comb made of plastic and either molded or permanently glued together.

Cover plates

Cover plates cover the reed-plates and are usually made of metal, though wood and plastic have also been used. The choice of these is personal - because they project sound, they determine the tonal quality of the harmonica. There are two types of cover plates: traditional open designs of stamped metal or plastic, which are simply there to be held, and enclosed designs (such as Hohner Meisterklass and Super 64, Suzuki Promaster and SCX), which offer a louder tonal quality. From these two basic types, a few modern designs have been created, such as the Hohner CBH-2016 chromatic and the Suzuki Overdrive diatonic, which have complex covers that allow for specific functions not usually available in the traditional design. It was not unusual in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to see harmonicas with special features on the covers, such as bells which could be rung by pushing a button.

The Types Of Harmonica

There are many types of harmonicas; Bass, Chromatic, Diatonic, Orchestral, Tremolo, The pitch pipe, each used for its own specific sound and can be played in many keys and many types of music.

Chromatic harmonica

The chromatic harmonica usually uses a button-activated sliding bar to redirect air from the hole in the mouthpiece to the selected reed-plate, although there was one design, the "Machino-Tone", which controlled airflow by means of a lever-operated movable flap on the rear of the instrument. In addition, there is a "hands-free" modification of the Hohner 270 (12-hole) in which the player shifts the tones by moving the mouthpiece up and down with the lips, leaving the hands free to play another instrument. While the Richter-tuned 10-hole chromatic is intended to be played in only one key, the 12-, 14-, and 16-hole models (which are tuned to equal temperament) allow the musician to play in any key desired with only one harmonica. This harp can be used for any style, including Celtic, classical, jazz, or blues (commonly in third position).

Diatonic harmonica

Strictly speaking, "diatonic" denotes any harmonica that is designed for playing in only one key (though the standard "Richter-tuned" diatonic can be played in other keys by forcing its reeds to play tones that are not part of its basic scale: see "Blues harp" below). Depending on the region of the world, "diatonic harmonica" may mean either the tremolo harmonica (in East Asia) or blues harp (In Europe and North America). Invented in the 19th century by Natalie Ann Cummins. Other diatonic harmonicas include octave harmonica.

Orchestral harmonicas

These harmonicas are primarily designed for use in ensemble playing.

Orchestral melody harmonica

There are two kinds of orchestral melody harmonica: the most common are the Horn harmonicas that are most often found in East Asia. These consist of a single large comb with blow only reed-plates on the top and bottom. Each reed sits inside a single cell in the comb. One version mimics the layout of a piano or mallet instrument, with the natural notes of a C diatonic scale in the lower reed-plate and the sharps/flats in the upper reed-plate in groups of two and three holes with gaps in between like the black keys of a piano (thus there is no E#/Fb hole nor a B#/Cb hole on the upper reed-plate). Another version has one "sharp" reed directly above its "natural" on the lower plate, with the same number of reeds on both plates. "Horn harmonicas" are available in several pitch ranges, with the lowest pitched starting two octaves below middle C and the highest beginning on middle C itself; they usually cover a two or three octave range. They are chromatic instruments and are usually played in an East Asian harmonica orchestra instead of the "push-button" chromatic harmonica that is more common in the European/American tradition. Their reeds are often larger, and the enclosing "horn" gives them a different timbre, so that they often function in place of a brass section. In the past, they were referred to as horn harmonicas.

The other type of orchestral melodic harmonica is the Polyphonia, (though some are marked "Chromatica"). These have all twelve chromatic notes laid out on the same row. In most cases, they have both both blow and draw of the same tone, though the No. 7 is blow only, and the No. 261, also blow only, has two reeds per hole, tuned an octave apart (all these designations refer to products of M. Hohner). The Polyphonia is often thought to allow the easy playing of pieces such as "Flight of the Bumblebee" (because it is not necessary to switch airflow). For years, Dan LeMaire-Bauch disputed this, pointing out that all three players known to him who have played "Bee" (Victor "Panky" Paul, Jia Yi He, and himself) have used 16-hole "push-button" chromatics. Nevertheless, in his pursuit of further harmonica knowledge, Dan has recently been told (by Al Smith of the Harmonica Hotshots) of two players, both now deceased, who did perform this piece creditably on a Polyphonia: Cappy LaFell and Chuck Fendall. One of Dan's own "Bumblebee" arrangements, however, does include a single 24-note phrase on a No. 7 Poly (pronounced "polly"). In another version (to be seen as a video on Youtube.com) Dan performs “Bumblebee” entirely on a 16-hole push-button chromatic. The Poly was commonly used to make glissandos and other effects very easy to play--few acoustic instruments can play a chromatic glissando as fast as a Polyphonia.

Chord harmonica

The chord harmonica has up to 48 chords: major, seventh, minor, augmented and diminished for ensemble playing. It is laid out in four-note clusters, each sounding a different chord on inhaling or exhaling. Typically each hole has two reeds for each note, tuned to one octave of each other. However, less expensive models often have only one reed per note.

Quite a few orchestra harmonicas are also designed to serve as both bass and chord harmonica, with bass notes next to chord groupings. There are also other chord harmonicas, such as the Chordomonica (which operates similar to a chromatic harmonica), and the junior chord harmonicas (which typically provides 6 chords).

ChengGong harmonica

A recent harmonica innovation is the ChengGong 程功 (a pun on the inventor's surname and 成功, or "success," pronounced "chenggong" in Mandarin Chinese) harmonica, invented by Cheng Xuexue 程雪學 of China. It has two parts: the main body, and a sliding mouthpiece. The body is a 24 hole diatonic harmonica that starts from b2 to d6 (covering 3 octaves). Its 11-hole mouthpiece can slide along the front of the harmonica, which gives numerous chord choices and voicings (seven triads, three 6th chords, seven 7th chords, and seven 9th chords, for a total of 24 chords available). Yet, the ChengGong is still capable of playing single note melodies and double stops over a range of three diatonic octaves, all the while maintaining a small profile, not much larger than a 12-hole chromatic. Unlike conventional harmonicas, blowing and drawing produce the same notes because its tuning is closer to the note layout of a typical Asian tremolo harmonica or the Polyphonias.

Tremolo harmonica

The tremolo harmonica's distinguishing feature is that it has two reeds per note, with one slightly sharp and the other slightly flat. This provides a unique wavering or warbling sound created by the two reeds being slightly out of tune with each other and the difference in their subsequent waveforms interacting with each other (its beat). The Asian version, on which all 12 semitones can be played, is used in many East-Asian musics, from rock to pop music.

The pitch pipe

The pitch pipe is essentially a specialty harmonica which is designed for providing a reference pitch to singers and other instruments. The only difference between some early pitch-pipes and harmonicas is the name of the instrument, which reflected the maker's target audience.

The Types Of Harmonica (Pictures)

Bass harmonica



Chromatic harmonica



Diatonic harmonica



Orchestral harmonicas - Chord harmonica



Orchestral harmonicas - ChengGong harmonica



Tremolo harmonica



The pitch pipe

The History Of Harmonica

The harmonica was developed in Europe in the early part of the 19th century, during a period of intense interest in free reed instruments. Free reed instruments like the sheng were fairly common throughout East Asia for centuries and were relatively well-known in Europe for some time. Around 1820, there was an explosion of new free reed designs in Europe and North America. While Christian Friederich Ludwig Buschmann is often cited as the inventor of the harmonica in 1821, it is almost certain that the instrument was simultaneously developed by several inventors working independently. Mouth-blown free reed instruments appeared in the United States, the United Kingdom and in Europe at roughly the same time.

Development of Harmonica in Europe

The harmonica first appeared in Vienna, where harmonicas with chambers were sold before 1824 (see also Anton Reinlein and Anton Haeckl). Richter tuning was in use nearly from the beginning. In Germany, Mr. Meisel of Geschichte des Akkordeonbaus in Klingenthal, Schwarzmeisel and Langhammer, bought a harmonica with chambers (Kanzellen) at the Exhibition in Braunschweig in 1824. He and Langhammer in Graslitz copied the instruments; by 1827 they had produced hundreds of harmonicas. Many others followed in Germany and also nearby in what would later become Czechoslovakia. In 1829, Johann Wilhelm Rudolph Glier, also began making harmonicas. In 1830, Christan Messner, a cloth maker and weaver from Trossingen, copied a harmonica his neighbour had brought from Vienna. He had such success that eventually his brother and some relatives also started to make harmonicas. From 1840 onwards, his nephew Christian Weiss was also involved in the business.

By 1855, there were at least three registered harmonica-making businesses in existence: C. A. Seydel Söhne, Christian Messner & Co., and Württ. Harmonikafabrik Ch. WEISS. Currently, only C.A. Seydel is still in business.

Owing to competition between the harmonica factories in Trossingen and Klingenthal, machines were invented to punch the covers for the reeds. In 1857, Matthais Hohner, a clockmaker from Trossingen, started producing harmonicas, eventually to become the first person to mass-produce them. He was the first to order the wooden comb that goes in the center of the instrument from other firms which machine-cut the parts. By 1868, he could deliver his first orders to the United States.

By the 1820s, the diatonic harmonica had largely reached its modern form. Other types followed soon thereafter, including the various tremolo and octave harmonicas. By the late 19th century, harmonica production was a big business, having evolved from a handcraft into mass-production with figures well into the millions, a market which continues to expand. New designs were still developed in the 20th century, including the chromatic harmonica, first made by Hohner in 1924, the bass harmonica, and the chord harmonica. In the 21st century, radical new designs are still being introduced into the market, such as the Suzuki Overdrive and Hohner XB-40.

Diatonic harmonicas were designed primarily for the playing of German and other European folk music and have succeeded well in those styles. Possibly unforeseen by its makers, the basic design and tuning proved adaptable to other types of music such as the blues, country, old-time and more. The harmonica was a success almost from the very start of production, and while the centre of the harmonica business has shifted from Germany, the output of the various harmonica manufacturers is still very high. Major companies are now found in Germany (Seydel, Hohner - once the dominant manufacturer in the world, producing some 20 million harmonicas alone in 1920 when German manufacturing totalled over 50 million harmonicas), Japan (Suzuki, Tombo, Yamaha), China (Huang, Leo Shi, Suzuki, Hohner) and Brasil (Hering). Recently, responding to increasingly demanding performance techniques, the market for high quality instruments has grown, resulting in a resurgence of hand-crafted harmonicas catering to those wanting the best, without the compromises inherent in mass manufacturing.

Development of Harmonica in United States

Shortly after Hohner began manufacturing harmonicas in 1857, he shipped some to relatives who had emigrated to the United States. Its music rapidly became popular, and the country became an enormous market for Hohner's goods. President Abraham Lincoln carried a harmonica in his pocket, and harmonicas provided solace to soldiers on both the Union and Confederate sides of the American Civil War. Frontiersmen Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid played the instrument, and it became a fixture of the American musical landscape.

The first recordings of harmonicas were made in the U.S. in the 1920s. These recordings are 'race-records', intended for the black market of the southern states with solo recordings by DeFord Bailey, duo recordings with a guitarist Hammie Nixon, Walter Horton, Sonny Terry, as well as hillbilly styles recorded for white audiences, by Frank Hutchison, Gwen Foster and several other musicians. There are also recordings featuring the harmonica in jug bands, of which the Memphis Jug Band is the most famous. But the harmonica still represented a toy instrument in those years and was associated with the poor. It is also during those years that musicians started experimenting with new techniques such as tongue-blocking, hand effects and the most important innovation of all, the 2nd position, or cross-harp.

The harmonica is used in blues and American folk music, jazz, classical music, country music, rock and roll, and pop music. Increasingly, the harmonica is finding its place in more electronically generated music, such as dance and hip-hop, as well as funk and acid jazz. The harmonica has other nicknames, especially in blues music, including: harp, blues harp, mouth organ and blues mouth organ.

Development of Harmonica in Hong Kong and Mainland China

Harmonica music started to develop in Hong Kong in the 1930s. Individual tremolo harmonica players from China moved to Hong Kong to set up different harmonica organizations such as The Chinese Y.M.C.A. Harmonica Orchestra (中華基督教青年會口琴樂隊) and China Harmonica Society (中國口琴社). Heart String Harmonica Society was another organization set up by the then sole agency of Hohner in Hong Kong, W.S. Shirly & Co.

In the 1950s, other than tremolo harmonica, chromatic harmonica became popular in Hong Kong. Prominent harmonica players Larry Adler and John Sebastian were invited to perform in Hong Kong. Local players such as Lau Mok (劉牧) and Fung On (馮安) were also devoted to the promotion of the chromatic harmonica. In the Chinese Y.M.C.A. Harmonica Orchestra, Fung On gradually replaced tremolo and diatonic harmonicas with the chromatic harmonica.

The symphonic orchestration of the Chinese YMCA. Harmonica Orchestra started in the 1960s. The goals were to enhance the tone colour and the volume and to perform pieces composed for a symphony orchestra. In the mid-60s, the Chinese Y.M.C.A. Harmonica Orchestra had developed into one with about 100 members. Aimed at imitating the symphonic orchestration of the western orchestra; a number of traditional instruments in a western orchestra were replaced by various types of harmonica: violin and viola were replaced by 12-hole and 16-hole chromonicas; cello by chord harmonica, contra bass and octave bass; double bass by octave bass; flute by pipe soprano; clarinet by pipe alto; trumpet by horn soprano; trombone by horn alto; oboe by melodica soprano; English horn by melodica alto; French horn by melodica professional. Simultaneously, double bass, accordion, piano, and percussion like timpani and xylophone were also used.

The 1970s was regarded as the flourishing period in the development of harmonica music in Hong Kong. Haletone Harmonica Orchestra was set up at Wong Tai Sin Community Centre. Fung On and others continued to teach harmonica and set up harmonica orchestras in local secondary schools such as Hotung Secondary School, King's College, Kiangsu-Chekiang College, Queen's College, St. Paul's College, St. Paul's Co-educational College.

In the 1980s, the number of harmonica learners decreased steadily, the result being that harmonica music in Hong Kong did not grow notably.

In the 1990s, however, the development of harmonica music flourished again. Harmonica players in Hong Kong began to participate in international harmonica competitions, including the World Harmonica Festival in Germany and the Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival in different Asian cities.

In the 2000s, the Hong Kong Harmonica Association (H.K.H.A.) (香港口琴協會) was established. The arrangement of its orchestras – the H.K.H.A. Harmonica Orchestra and the H.K.H.A. St. James' Settlement Junior Harmonica Orchestra – largely follows that of the Chinese Y.M.C.A. Harmonica Orchestra. It is evident that over the last forty years, the symphonic orchestration of harmonica music remained, in principle, the same. Put differently, the influence of Fung On in the symphonic orchestration of harmonica music in Hong Kong has been sustained for nearly half a decade.

Overall, Hong Kong can be seen as the forerunner of the formation of symphonic orchestration of harmonica music around the world.

Development of Harmonica in Japan

In 1898, the harmonica was brought to Japan; there, the Japanese were more interested in the sound of the Tremolo; however after about 30 years, they became dissatisfied with the richter-based layout of the tremolo harmonica, and thus developed the scale tuning, as well as the semitone harmonicas, in order to be able to perform Japanese folk songs. During sometime in 1924 and 1933, it was brought to other places in East Asia.

Development of Harmonica in Taiwan

The history of the harmonica in Taiwan began around 1945, due to the influence of numerous harmonica experts, as well as versatility and cheap prices of the harmonica. It became one of the standard instruments on the island, being treated as a serious instrument during its peak at the 1980s — more so than Europe and America, where it was often associated as a blues-only instrument. However, as the western lifestyle began to spread, as well as an increase in living standards, many instruments that were once too expensive to buy could be bought by the Taiwanese. Additionally, due to many schools of methodologies on the harmonica, the harmonica as an instrument almost faded to obscurity in the 90s. In order to raise the appeal of the harmonica back to it what it once was, numerous harmonica lovers in Taiwan began to promote the harmonica heavily, starting with the introduction of harmonicas and methodology that are popular in the Western world (eg. Chromatic and Diatonic harmonicas), as well as participating in numerous international competitions.